SPICE ISLAND VEGAN - a blog about veganizing Southeast Asian ethnic dishes such as Indonesian dishes I grew up with or any other....

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Vegan Banh Mi Sandwiches

Banh Mi with homemade grilled 'pork' patty and Cilantro Lime Aioli

Banh Mi with Candied Smoked Ham and Dijon Mustard

I haven't been cooking lately because the weather is too hot. However, a post from Bryanna at Vegan Feast Kitchen blog about Vegan Spinach "Chicken" Patties (Open to Experimentation) prompted me to a new experiment with her recipe. I made it Asian style in my experiment and it became Vegan Cilantro Roasted Lemongrass "Pork" Patties instead of "Chicken" patties. I used the patties in Vietnamese Bánh mìwith homemade Vegan Cilantro Lime Aioli and topped with traditional Bánh mì toppings(pictured above). I grilled the patties on a cast iron skillet thus it became Vegan Grilled "Pork" Patties Bánh mì.I just want to warn everyone that this recipe is very cilantro-ey. Some people don't really like cilantro or coriander leaves. I love them. A lot of Vietnamese dishes use a lot of cilantro. If you don't like cilantro you may stick with spinach or parsley.
I also did another experiment to make Candied Vegan "Ham" or "Bacon" using Chinese Style Vegan Smoked Ham I bought in Asian market. I also served the Candied "Ham" in Bánh mì with dijon mustard and topped with traditional Bánh mì toppings(pictured above, too).

Start with a dry food processor, grind chopped lemongrass into a fine fibrous pulps. This may take 1-2 minutes. Add chopped shallots and garlic cloves. Process some more until it become a fibrous spice paste.

Heat oil in a wok or on a cast iron pan, saute the spice paste on a medium heat. Stir fry for literally 10-15 minutes until the herb paste brown and roasted. Stir the paste frequently. When it becomes loose, brown, dry, and fluffy, turn off the heat and let it cool. (See the same method in making Lemongrass Tofu).

While stir frying the lemongrass in step 2, mix the no beef broth paste with boiling water. Add to the TVP and let sit 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using the same food processor (you don't need to wash), grind fresh cilantro and green onions.

Scoop up some of the "dough' and roll into a ball, then press down into a patty on a piece of baking parchment or silpat. I made it oval shapes because I am serving it in a baguette. There will be about 12-13 patties.

Place the patties on parchment-lined or silpat-lined baking sheets, cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. The patties will be soft when they come out of the oven. Let them cool on baking sheets. Cool or chill thoroughly in the fridge. They will firm up as they cool. Store in a container with parchment in between the patties and refrigerate or freeze for future use.

When ready to serve, grill or brown them on both sides and medium heat on a oiled cast iron skillet.

Vegan Candied Smoked "Ham"

Using a loaf of store bought smoked vegan ham. I frequently perused Asian market in search of Smoked Vegan Ham. I often found one or two that is vegan. The one I purchased was VegeFarm brand.

Store bought vegan ham

Vegetable oil

Maple syrup

Slice thawed vegan ham vertically and about 1/4-inch thick.

On a cast iron skillet, heat a tablespoon oil, pan fry a few ham slices until golden brown.